The Irish standard., 1887-06-11
STRANGE PHENOMENA.
Uncomfortable Condition of a Gentleman
Charged with Electricity.

Charged with Electricity.
cat one time it was very hard for me
to believe, indeed. that any person liv-
ing possessed such power as being
able to shuttle across the carpet of a
room and light the gas as it issued
from the jet of the burner by simply
touching it with the tip of one finger.
I have at present, however, two
friends, at least, among my acquaint-
ances who seem to be capable Of per-
forming this feat at all times and under
any circumstances. Now find SINH
lar phenomena exhibited to very
high degree in my own person, at Fort
Wingate here. This point is over sip
thousand feet above sea level; the only
water in the neighborhood is a small
pond--a puddle, reall,17-and few III
significant springs. The air is usually
clear and highly rarefed; indeed, al
the conditions seem to be favorable te
the exhibition of electrical appear
ances.
"Only the other day, while pacing
my room, passing as [ did so, eac}
time, over large wooden Navajo
blanket that lay spread out on th'
floor. a circumstance arose which
called upon me to touch the cast-iror
urn that ornamented the top Of a small:
wood-stove in the apartment, and
which had fire in it at the time. Be.
fore the tip of my index finger touched
it, by distance Of fully centimeter,
there was displayed in the intervening
space q brilliant electric flash, accom-
panied by q report that could be dis.
tinctly heard in the adjoining room
above ordinary conversation. The ex'
pertinent was repeated three or four
times, but the display became more
and more feeble with each 5rial: it re-
tanned its original force, however, after
paced across the blanket On the floor
few times. Additional experimental
ton went to show that this electrical
discharge was considerably greater
from the tip of the index finger than
from any Of the others OF the hand,
and gradually diminished in regular
order as we proceeded to the little fin
ger, and, further, it seemed in my case,
more evident in the left index rather
than in the right one. When all ten
iinger-tips were drawn together and
then brought up to within q cent?
meters distance Of this stove~ur1, the
flash and report appeared no greater
than it did from the index finger alone.
"At times, apparently depending
upon the meteorological conditions,
my entire system seems to become
thoroughly charged with this animal
electricity, and most small objects
cackle and snap rs l handle them, leav
ing, as night draws near, ali nncom-
Portable, aching sensation in my arm
and extending more or less down my
side. During these same times, should
nay wife take any small object from my
hand, as the draugl2ting pen or the
sponge glass upon which such a pen is
cleaned, an electrical report follows
the contact that can be distinctly heard
throughout a large room. On the 9TH
err hand, I had occasion TO examine an
injury of the back in a young mulatto
girl of about fifteen years OF age a few
days ago, when, with my right hand
resting on her shoulder and my left
making the required examination, there
Instantly followed for me Il sense Of the
most profound relief, as if it were that
all the electricity in my system had
been completely withdrawn by the act.
This girl, during stay OF nearly three
years at Fort Wingate. had never been
conscious Of any electrical phenomena
associated with herself similar to those
which have experienced. Previous to
coming here I had resided about a
year in Washington, where had never
observed such exhibitions, SO far as my
own person was concerned, and they
only grad ually developed at this place. .
Fort Vasgate IA. IL. Cor. Science.